Orioles manager Buck Showalter had Tommmy Hunter warming in the bullpen tonight after closer Jim Johnson faced two batters. Troy Patton ended up replacing Johnson, but not until the Indians loaded the bases with no outs, tied the game on a fielder's choice grounder and took the lead on another force play. "I wasn't going to extend Jimmy any more than I had to," Showalter said after a 4-3 loss. "Same reason why Troy came in." Johnson, standing at his locker after his fifth blown save,...

Jim Johnson had recorded 12 saves in his last 12 chances, but No. 13 got away from him and the Orioles tonight as Cleveland scored twice off him in the ninth to win 4-3. "The leadoff walk, that is pretty much what led to the whole inning. Lately, that is uncharacteristic and something I need to work on," Johnson said. He walked Michael Brantley on four pitches, Jason Giambi doubled and Cleveland's comeback was on. "It was not a good quality pitch (to Giambi), but the whole inning started...

Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon is enjoying his second opportunity of the season back with the big club. On Wednesday, Rendon smacked a double and two singles while scoring a run in a 3-for-4 night, helping the Nationals edge the Diamondbacks 3-2. Rendon looks right at home in the batter's box. "That is where I feel most comfortable," Rendon said. "That is what I have been doing my whole life. I like to hit." Manager Davey Johnson said Rendon does not act like a rookie in the...

They rallied, but then so did Cleveland. After the Orioles scored twice in the last of the eighth tonight to get a 3-2 lead, Cleveland scored twice in the ninth off Jim Johnson to post a 4-3 win. It was the fifth blown save for the O's closer, who had saved 12 in a row since a blown save May 26 at Toronto. Johnson, seeking his 28th save, issued a four-pitch walk to Micheal Brantley to start the ninth and Jason Giambi doubled. An intentional walk followed and back-to-back ground balls scored...

Nationals manager Davey Johnson said the early matchup between starter Jordan Zimmermann and Arizona second baseman Aaron Hill was a battle that helped the Diamondbacks score first. Hill walked in front of Paul Goldschmidt, who slapped a run-scoring single to give the Diamondbacks an early 1-0 advantage. "We had a really tough at-bat with Hill, an 11-pitch or 12-pitch at-bat," Johnson said. "But (Zimmermann) misses so many bats. He just kind of settled down. He used all of his pitches...

Maybe it should have kept raining. Indians starter Scott Kazmir hasn't allowed a hit in six innings. The only baserunner came on a four-pitch walk to Matt Wieters in the fifth after Kazmir retired the first 13 Orioles. First base umpire Will Little is probably rehearsing his quotes for the pool reporter. If Kazmir completes the no-hitter, immediate attention will fall upon Little, who blew a call in the fourth inning. Manny Machado dove into the bag and was clearly safe. His hand touched...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette met with reporters in the back of the press box to discuss pitcher Dylan Bundy's pending elbow surgery. Bundy will undergo ligament-reconstructive surgery Thursday morning in Gulf Breeze, Fla. The Orioles are hopeful that he will be cleared to pitch next summer. "The thinking was that Dylan is 20 years old, he's very young and it's early in his career, and after giving it two times of rest and significant rest, and the elbow not responding...

Arizona came out swinging in the first inning against Nationals ace Jordan Zimmermann, scoring two runs. Paul Goldschmidt smacked a RBI double and Martin Prado added an run-scoring single. Then quickly in the bottom of the first, Anthony Rendon started things with a single followed by a Ryan Zimmerman run-scoring double to cut the Diamondbacks lead to 2-1. Update: The Nationals tied the game in the fourth inning on a solo shot by Tyler Moore, his third homer of the season. Then in the fifth,...

Rain continues to fall at Camden Yards and the tarp remains on the field. However, we've been told that tonight's game will start at approximately 8:05 p.m. Sounds like a one-hour rain delay to me. Also, executive vice president Dan Duquette will meet with reporters in the back of the press box at 7:55 p.m. to discuss Dylan Bundy's pending elbow surgery. Jim Johnson's next save will be the 100th of his career. His 99 career saves are fourth-most in Orioles history, trailing Gregg Olson...

Nationals manager Davey Johnson did not get a full report on outfielder Bryce Harper's first rehab game. Harper had a double, a walk, a run scored and ran the bases hard. Johnson knew that Harper was not going to take it easy, even playing only three innings. "I knew he was going to do that," Johnson said. "Have you ever seen him jog to first? He hits a gapper, you think he is going to stop at first? No, he was going to try to hit and go to second." General manager Mike Rizzo said they...